Steel Strands
by artigiano
Summary: "The man is held together by the thinnest of threads and yet sometimes it's like those threads are actually fine steel strands, and they'll bend but he'll never allow him to break." Quick tag to 3.14, some spoilers to the episode.


**Alright, guys. So I know that I've been MIA for a pretty long time and my only excuse is my mountain load of homework each week that leaves with barely any time to even watch _Hawaii Five-0_, let alone write anything for it. I have about fifteen different stories in progress and in various stages of development, but they're slow going. So you'll just have to wait a little bit longer to get anything really good/longer from me. BUT. I finally watched 3.14 and the interaction between Steve and Danny at the end really had me inspired to write a quick tag. So keep in mind this was written in about 10 minutes and not beta'd by anyone, so if it's total crap I take full responsibility. But that being said, I hope you like this quick story about their friendship!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to _Hawaii Five-0 _and I'm writing this purely for my own entertainment. And yours, of course. **

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He sees what it takes for Steve to turn that helicopter around, knows that it takes every ounce of willpower and training his partner has ever gotten to turn away from Wo Fat. He can see the strain of it the rest of the ride back to Oahu and can see the tense set of his shoulders on the drive back to Headquarters and later to Steve's place. It's on Danny's mind all afternoon, and he knows it's on Steve's because he is quieter than usual, which is saying something for the normally uncommunicative SEAL, and Danny knows that the Navy man would give anything to turn back the clock and change the outcome of this afternoon. He tries to tell him that they had no other choice, that they'll catch him, but he sees that his words have no impact on the mood in which Steve has sunk.

It's on his mind right up until he gets the call from the judge and finds out that his daughter is staying on the island. After that, his daughter is the only thing occupying his thoughts for the rest of the evening, and he floats home on a cloud, forgetting about Steve's choice earlier in the day.

It's not until the next day, when he walks into Headquarters and Chin tells him that Steve called a little bit ago to say that he's taking the day off, that the alarm bells start ringing in Danny's head again. Steve never takes a day off if he can help it, hasn't taken a real vacation since they met, and Danny's heart sinks when he realizes that he left his partner hanging yesterday after the custody call.

With a quick word to Chin that he's going to check on him—the older man nods knowingly—Danny is back out the door and retracing his steps to the car, speeding towards McGarrett's house without abandon. When he gets there, though, no one answers his repeated knocks, even though he knows his partner is inside since his truck in is the driveway, cool to the touch. "C'mon McGarrett! Open up! You can't get rid of me that easy!" But still, it's all-quiet on the western front and the door remains closed. "Steve! C'mon babe!" He pauses for a few minutes, and then pounds the door again. "Steven!"

Finally, after nearly twenty minutes of continued knocking, the door cracks open and he sees his partner for the first time since yesterday. And frankly, he looks terrible. There are dark shadows under his eyes and he looks like he didn't sleep at all. He's pale and everything about him screams angst. And if Danny was expecting a warm welcome (which, let's be honest after twenty minutes of being ignored, he wasn't), he doesn't get one. "What do you want, Danny?"

"Nice to see you too. Can I come in?"

"No."

But Danny isn't going to take no for an answer—whether it's because he has finally started to learn how to deal with his partner when he gets like this or guilt over the fact that he basically forgot about the issue last night—and barges past Steve anyway. He was slightly expecting the main room to be a mess, physical evidence of his partner's distress, but it's clean as it always is, a sign of Steve's military past. He makes it so far into the room and then turns around to face the object of his concern, who is still standing by the door. "Talk to me."

Steve shoots him a look, one that Danny can't completely decode, but he sees the anger in it, the cynicism, and the hurt. But his tone is neutral. "I'm fine, Danny. Seriously. I just needed to take a day off. You should take a day off too—celebrate with Grace."

Danny sees what Steve is doing. He's trying to change the subject, bring up the one thing that he knows Danny can't say no to, but right now it's not going to work. "I celebrated with her last night. Not that she understood what we were celebrating but we had ice cream and watched _The Little Mermaid_. So while I appreciate the offer, just don't. Please, just talk to me. Don't shut down."

Steve sighs and finally moves into the room, but only makes it to the sofa where he collapses and puts his head in his hands. "I can't, Danny. Please, I just… I can't."

"Steven, I saw your face when you found out it was Wo Fat behind all this, I saw how much it took for you to fly away. I understand. Please, talk to me. You're my best friend, you helped me keep my daughter—let me do something in return please."

Silence reigns for a few moments, but finally Steve offers up just a little bit. "You don't understand, Danny. That's the man that tortured me, made me think I was going to die in that hellhole of a bunker in a godforsaken jungle." Danny can't help but flinch at that, but Steve doesn't seem to notice. "He's the one that ruined my childhood, ripped my whole world apart, who got me into a plane crash, who has tried to kill me over and over again…" He pauses and Danny can see he's trying to compose himself. "You don't know what it took for me to leave him there, Danny. For me to come so close to capturing him again, and then having to leave." He finally looks up at Danny and there's so much pain behind his blue eyes that it almost knocks the blonde back a step. And then he breathes out and the pain and anger are gone, a wall put back up between him and the emotions. "But I'm fine. I just needed a day to be fine."

Danny wants to yell at him, tell him that he's not fine—not anywhere close—but he know it'll do no good. He'll keep going, pretending everything is perfectly fine until the moment comes when he can't pretend anymore. The man is held together by the thinnest of threads and yet sometimes it's like those threads are actually fine steel strands, and they'll bend but he'll never allow him to break. He's both the strongest and the most fragile person Danny knows. So instead of arguing, causing his best friend more stress, he just sits down beside him and stretches out; letting him pretend just a little bit longer. "So, what are we doing with our day off?"

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**I hope it was enjoyable! Please leave a review and let me know! **

**Charlotte **


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